Heavy cut methyl esters of vegetable oils and animal fats, as defined hereinafter, are useful in a variety of contexts. In particular, heavy cut methyl esters have been used as lubricants in the metalworking industry. See, e.g., Williams et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,917, issued Feb. 10, 1998. Heavy cut methyl esters are preferred over other types of lubricants, such as mineral oils, due to their lower cost, lower toxicity, and environmental friendliness. However, a disadvantage for using heavy cut methyl esters as metalworking lubricants relates to their relatively high pour points, which are typically at or above the freezing point of water. This disadvantage has prevented these low cost, low toxicity, and environmentally friendly, heavy cut methyl esters from becoming more widely used as metalworking lubricants. It has been desired to discover a way to lower the pour points of these heavy cut methyl esters so that they can be more effectively used as metalworking lubricants.
Heavy cut methyl esters of vegetable oils and animal fats are also particularly useful in the agricultural adjuvant market, in which they are used as carriers for the active ingredients in pesticides. See, e.g., Synek, U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,048, issued Mar. 18, 1997; Wessling et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,035, issued Apr. 16, 1996; Bencsits, U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,181, issued Dec. 31, 1996. Such pesticides are often stored outside in large drums for future agricultural use. However, in colder climates, such storage can result in the pesticides becoming frozen, which then requires a great amount of effort to thaw the pesticides before use. While other carriers, such as mineral oils, can be used so that the pesticides do not freeze quite as readily, their cost is prohibitive and their use has raised environmental concerns. Using heavy cut methyl esters as the carrier material in pesticides has economic and environmental benefits. Thus, it has been desired to create heavy cut methyl ester compositions with lower pour points to be used as a carrier in pesticides which will not freeze as readily when stored outside in colder climates.
Heavy cut methyl esters of vegetable oils and animal fats have also been useful as a base for drilling muds and fluids. See, e.g., Advances in Drilling Covered at Conference in Southeast Asia, OIL & GAS JOURNAL, p. 41 (PennWell Publ'g Feb. 1, 1993). Diesel and mineral oils have typically been used as the base for these muds and fluids, however their use has raised environmental concerns. Due to their environmental friendliness, heavy cut methyl esters have been effectively used as a base for drilling muds and fluids. However, heavy cut methyl esters are undesirable for use in drilling muds in colder climates due to their higher pour points.
Heavy cut methyl esters have also been useful as biodiesel fuels. See, e.g., Foglia et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,965, issued Feb. 3, 1998; Demmering et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,113, issued Feb. 14, 1995; Lal, U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,471, issued Aug. 16, 1994. As previously discussed, a disadvantage to using heavy cut methyl esters has been their relatively high pour points, which causes them to solidify in fuel pipes at temperatures at or above the freezing point of water so that they cannot be effectively used as biodiesel fuel under winter conditions in cold climates.